Jordanian national arrested over Florida energy facility attack, explosives threats condemning Israel
A Jordanian national was arrested for explosives threats and an attack on a Florida energy facility allegedly motivated by the U.S. government’s support of the state of Israel.
Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 43, of Orlando, was indicted on Thursday with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility.
Prosecutors say that beginning around June, Hnaihen targeted and attacked businesses in the Orlando area “for their perceived support for the State of Israel.”
Wearing a mask, and under the cover of night, Hnaihen allegedly smashed the glass front doors of businesses and left behind “Warning Letters,” according to court documents.
The letters, which were addressed to the United States government, laid out a series of political demands, culminating in a threat to “destroy or explode everything here in whole America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel,” according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say Hnaihen’s attacks later escalated. As law enforcement worked to identify the masked attacker, Hnaihen allegedly broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, and spent hours systematically destroying solar panel arrays in late June.
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He is accused of smashing panels, cutting wires, and targeting critical electronic equipment. Court documents say Hnaihen left behind two more copies of his threatening demand letter. Prosecutors believe Hnaihen caused more than $700,000 in damage.
The indictment includes a photo of solar panels with cracked glass and an aerial photo of the solar panel field Hnaihen allegedly attacked, with targeted panel areas outlined in red. (Justice Department)
Law enforcement identified Hnaihen following a “multi-agency effort” and arrested him on July 11, shortly after another “Warning Letter” threatening to “destroy or explode everything” was discovered at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando.
“We allege that the defendant threatened to carry out hate-fueled mass violence in our country, motivated in part by a desire to target businesses for their perceived support of Israel,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Such acts and threats of violence, whether they are targeting the places that Americans frequent every day or our country’s critical infrastructure, are extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated by the Justice Department.”
If convicted, Hnaihen faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each threat offense and up to 20 years imprisonment for the destruction of an energy facility offense, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg announced.
The indictment includes photos of the damage Hnaihen allegedly inflicted on two businesses. (Justice Department)
At his detention hearing Thursday, Hnaihen was ordered to be detained pending trial. The indictment also notifies Hnaihen that the United States intends to forfeit assets connected to the offense.
“Targeting and attacking businesses for perceived beliefs is unacceptable,” Handberg said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and federally prosecute those who make violent or hate-based threats and who seek to act on these threats.”
“Under the guise of expressing his beliefs, the defendant allegedly attacked a power facility and threatened local businesses, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “Violence and destruction of property to threaten and intimidate others will never be tolerated. The FBI and our partners will work together to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence.”
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The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, with valuable assistance from the Maitland Police Department, the Winter Park Police Department, and the Orlando Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan is leading the prosecution.
The incident comes months after two Jordanian nationals who were in the United States illegally attempted to breach the Marine Corps Base in Virginia in May.
As tensions rise in the Middle East, an expert recently told Fox News Digital that Jordan remains the “last holdout,” as Iran sets its sights on transforming the country into Tehran’s next great “terror front.”
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
